Gratitude often comes up when we talk about living a better life.
In fact, many of us know that an “attitude of gratitude” can reduce stress and allow us to feel better about life in general. It can also help our relationships with those around us.
But did you know that gratitude can also help our finances?
That’s right. Being thankful can help you improve your financial situation too.
Greater Contentment = Less Spending
First of all, gratitude can lead to greater contentment with what you have. Practicing thankfulness and acknowledging what you have is a big step in the right direction toward feeling contentment in your life.
When you feel good about what you already have, you’ll feel less of a need to try and keep up with the Joneses. You are therefore less likely to try and fill a hole by buying more things.
General contentment with life reduces the amount of money you spend on things that don’t matter to you. And, of course, that leads to fewer expenses and thus more money in your pocket.
If you think about it, gratitude can help you avoid lifestyle inflation, debt-fueled attempts to look rich, or the temptation to make purchases because you feel like you are “supposed” to when other people on your block have those things.
So take some time today to recognize what you have and be thankful for what’s already in your life, as you will be less likely to spend money on other things.
Recovering from Financial Setbacks
Another financial benefit of gratitude is the resilience it offers when you are trying to recover from financial setbacks.
No one wants to lose a job, have a terrible accident, or deal with any number of financial catastrophes. However, if you practice gratitude, you are more likely to get through the difficulty and eventually recover.
It’s easier to keep a positive attitude when you are thankful for what you do have. Those who are grateful are more likely to see these setbacks as temporary. Rather than getting caught up in the idea that the situation is permanent, they are more likely to have the grit to move forward.
While gratitude won’t keep financial setbacks from happening to you, it can help you get through tough times and overcome difficulties. Your gratitude can help you put the situation in perspective and move forward even though the path ahead may seem difficult.
Gratitude is often associated with positivity and sometimes you need a dose of it in your life when things seem to be going in the wrong direction.
Giving and More Organized Finances
Finally, gratitude often goes hand-in-hand with charitable giving. Even though it often means giving money away, a charitable act can also mean positive things for your money. In turn, this can actually be a benefit to your finances.
If you make giving a priority, it means you have to organize other areas of your finances. I know that I manage my finances better because I want to make sure there’s room in my budget for the things that matter most to me. This includes giving back.
When you have gratitude in your life and you want to make a difference, you have the incentive to organize your finances – and that’s a good thing.
{ read the comments below or add one }
Two powerful images of people showing gratitude are:
“Turning toward the woman, He [Yeshua] said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.”
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+7%3A36-50&version=NASB
And
The Widow’s Mite
” And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting [a]money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two [small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+12%3A+41-44&version=NASB
With respect to spending, I’d agree it sure beats an attitude of entitlement!
But on the income side I’m not so sure. Like if you’re grateful to your employer for keeping you in your job, maybe you’re not getting paid what you’re worth in the open market? Some may confuse gratitude with a willingness to settle for less. I wonder if this distinction is a factor in gender inequality with respect to wages and promotions?
I completely agree. Being grateful for what you have is literally a healthy attitude. I’ve always been grateful for having a roof over my head and food on the table. I don’t recall to have ever felt greed towards people who had a great house, fancy cars or lavish vacations..
However, I also agree with freebird’s comment above.
Maybe finding the balance between being grateful for what you have and knowing when you deserve more is key. Underestimating yourself is the opposite of having a healthy attitude on life!
We should all learn to be more thankful and content with what we have if we want to feel better about our bank accounts! However, buying things makes us feel happy too and we don’t need to scrimp and save when we want our finances to look more healthy. As long as we manage things well, that’s enough!